People Who Rock: Ringo Starr

The Beatles put out hundreds of quality songs but perhaps the three finest of all are “In My Life”, “A Day In the Life”, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. One common thread through each of these classic songs is the exceptional drumming performance of Ringo Starr. Oft overshadowed by his legendary bandmates, Ringo has an ongoing track record of nearly six decades of performing and recording excellence that began before The Beatles and continues with the release of Postcards from Paradise, his 18th solo studio album, in March 2015.

After the Beatles’ breakup due to personal confrontations, Starr remained a neutral party and would eventually play drums on albums released by each of his three former bandmates. Starr also played on albums for artists such as Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, and the late great BB King, and seemed to have a knack for being present at historic rock occasions such as Geoge Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh and The Band’s The Last Waltz. During the 1970s, Ringo also had several Top 10 hits of his own, tried his hand at acting, and started his own recording label called Ring O’Records.

Starting in 1989, he formed the touring super group “Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band”, which is currently in its 13th iteration, with an impressive list of legends that is too long to print having participated in this group over the past quarter-century-plus. Likewise, this latest album Postcards from Paradise includes participation from Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Dave Stewart, Todd Rundgren, Greg Rollie, and Van Dyke Parks.

This year, Ringo Starr became the fourth ex-Beatle inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.